1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical devices, and more particularly medical teaching devices for teaching the skills of examination and surgical procedures of the human ear. The present invention more particularly relates to an improved apparatus for teaching examination and surgical procedures of the human ear that includes a properly oriented tympanic membrane and anatomical structures of the middle ear, such as the malleus, the incus, and the stapes bones.
2. General Background of the Invention
A certain number of practitioners make a decision to "give up" stapedectomy procedures each year because of the time interval since their last procedure and/or the lack of an available temporal bone laboratory in which they can perform a number of practice procedures prior to the real one. There is thus a need for an inexpensive "trainer" that could simply be used in an office setting using an existing office microscope such as after patient visiting hours.
Numerous anatomical teaching devices have been patented, some of which are directed to the human ear. At least one prior art patent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,778,125, is directed to a teaching device that simulates the human ear. That patent was issued to Irvin Hantman and is entitled "Teaching Device Simulating The Human Ear".
Other patents that relate to anatomical displays include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,009,267; 4,209,919; and 5,505,623. The present invention relates to a model that enables a surgeon to perform a myringotomy. The Goldsmith U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,040 is directed to a method of performing a myringotomy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,681 discloses an ear examination simulator unit for use by parents, children and health care professionals to recognize ear disorders in children. The apparatus includes an ear structure simulator module that is mounted within a head portion of a furry animal facsimile. The ear structure simulator module includes a tube body having orifices defined in ends thereof for receiving an otoscope or other examination tool. Mounted within the tube portion is a semi-translucent membrane and a photographic slide depicting an eardrum in normal or various diseased states. A source of illumination provides light which is distributed by the membrane in order to provide back lighting of the images on the photographic slide. In addition, the membrane may be textured and colored so as to simulate a human eardrum in its healthy state.